The present invention relates generally to the field of snow shovels and in particular to a new and useful snow shovel having a pair of braces which reinforce an angled snow shovel blade.
Several patents teach angle adjustable blades for shovels. One such patent teaches a shovel blade that is adjustable via braces. U.S. Pat. No. 2,896,993, discloses a pair of braces which are separately attached to opposite sides of a shovel blade at their lower end and converge together at their upper end to be connected to a handle via a pivot pin. However, the braces are not adjustable with respect to each other to change the angle of the blade. Rather, the angle of the blade is changed based on pivoting caused by rotation or twisting of the handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,828 to Simpson discloses a shovel comprising a blade having a rear bracket pivotally connected to a handle via a handle pivot pin or bolt so that the handle can be moved to an obliquely angled position with respect to the blade. A frame having an arched transverse member and a restraining bar lying horizontally between opposite substantially vertical sides of the transverse member define a channel for receiving the handle. The handle is pivotable via the pivot pin or bolt, and therefore slidable inside the channel over a range of angular positions oblique to each side of the shovel limited by the length of the channel.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,463,150 discloses a shovel having a blade with an H-frame attached to its rear, and a bracket journalled upon the legs of the H-frame. A handle contains a dial at its lower end attached to the bracket via a screw, wherein the dial has holes arranged in an outer circle of the dial. The handle is titled laterally at an angle with respect to the bracket, and a stud fixed upon the bracket, is inserted through the center dial hole to maintain the angle of the handle with respect to the bracket. The handle can also be articulated away from the blade via a pivotal rod and attached to a clamping lever.
U.S. Pat. No. 813,983 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,808 disclose a shovel with the shovel blade pivotally attached to the handle so that the blade can tilt to the left or right. The blade is connected to the handle by two bolts or screws arranged vertically. The upper bolt is mounted through an arcuate slot in the shovel blade, while the lower bolt is the pivot point. In a second embodiment in U.S. Pat. No. 813,983, the blade is reversed so that the lower bolt is mounted through an arcuate slot and the upper bolt is the pivot point. Thus, the edges of the blade can be tilted off horizontal, theoretically to cause snow to move to one side when the shovel is used as a plow. However, it appears that if the bottom edge is not flat, some snow would remain behind when using the shovel in this manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,196,206 discloses a scoop or scraper which may be adjusted laterally with respect to a handle via a pivoting connection comprising an eye hook having a shank riveted to the scoop which passes through an eye in a connecting member of the handle. A wingnut restrains a bail contained in a notch and connected to the rear face of the scoop, which can be loosened to allow the bail to slip through the notch as the scoop is adjusted laterally.
The following patents also disclose laterally adjustable shovel blades, and are listed for general reference: U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,803,071, 2,919,153, 4,538,847, 4,559,726, 5,984,393, 6,457,757, 6,675,507, and 6,948,268.
Also, there are patents which disclose assembly of handles by pins connecting one handle portion to another handle portion. U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,883 discloses an adjustable rail of a handle arrangement comprising a lower tubular portion and an upper tubular portion slidable within the lower tubular portion, wherein both the upper and lower tubular portions have holes which can be aligned so that the upper tubular portion can be fixed with respect to the lower tubular portion a particular position by a screw fastener which is inserted through aligned holes of the respective tubular portions.
There is a need in the art for reinforcement for laterally adjustable blades of shovels. All of the prior art patents teach simple and delicate pivoting connections via pins, eye hooks, etc, without any type of reinforcement for preventing wobbling of the blade or the tendency for the blade to turn when snow is shoveled. The prior art fails to teach reinforcement for laterally adjustable blades which can also be used as support or leverage during shoveling.